Yesterday the Tories voted against cracking down on illegal puppy farms, pet theft and animal smuggling, despite promising to pass a law on this way back in 2019.

However, Andrew Western, the MP for Stretford and Urmston voted for Labour’s motion to end puppy smuggling.

Speaking in the Commons Chamber, during the Animal Welfare debate, Andrew Western said: “In the two years since the kept animals Bill was first introduced, the Dogs Trust has cared for 485 puppies that have been smuggled into the country, often in desperate conditions. It has also looked after 101 dogs who were transported while heavily pregnant, which we know poses significant risks to their health. Scrapping the Bill has given a green light for that cruelty to continue.

“We need to hear significant assurances from the Minister on the timings, on what will and will not be brought forward, on what elements of the Bill she considers her priorities, and on why she considers the other elements of the Bill less of a priority so that they will be phased behind those. We had a Bill that had already passed its Second Reading and was ready to go. We are told, “People tried to broaden it, so it became a Christmas tree Bill,” but, for heaven’s sake, the Government have a significant majority and a mandate to deliver on this matter – those excuses simply do not wash. It is for that reason, and that reason alone, that I will support the Labour motion. We need to see the kept animals Bill in statute, in full, as soon as possible.”

From ending the testing of cosmetics on animals to banning fox hunting, Labour always stands up for the welfare of animals.